The Ingenue: A Novel

by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Overview

Named a Best New Book of December 2022 by Buzzfeed · New York Post · PopSugar · PureWow · E! Online · Amazon
A People Best New Book: "A dark tale of revenge."

"Exceptional. This surprising, exhilarating suspense-filled tale of revenge and redemption is hard to put down." ––Publishers Weekly (starred review)

My Dark Vanessa meets The Queen's Gambit in this new novel of suspense about the bonds of family, the limits of talent, the risks of ambition, and the rewards of revenge.

When former piano prodigy Saskia Kreis returns home to Milwaukee after her mother's sudden death, she expects to inherit the family estate, the Elf House. But with the discovery that her mother's will bequeathed the Elf House to a man that Saskia shares a complicated history with, she is forced to reexamine her own past––and the romantic relationship that changed the course of her life––for answers. Can she find a way to claim her heritage while keeping her secrets buried, or will the fallout from digging too deep destroy her?

Set against a post #MeToo landscape, Rachel Kapelke-Dale's The Ingenue delves into mother-daughter relationships, the expectations of talent, the stories we tell ourselves, and what happens when the things that once made you special are taken from you. Moving between Saskia's childhood and the present day, this dark, contemporary fairy tale pulses with desire, longing, and uncertainty, as it builds to its spectacular, shocking climax.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250834584
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/05/2023
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	373,602
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Rachel Kapelke-Dale is the author of The Ingenue and The Ballerinas, and co-author of Graduates in Wonderland. Kapelke-Dale received a B.A. from Brown University, where she rode on the varsity equestrian team, an M.A. from the Université de Paris-Diderot, and a Ph.D. from University College London. She currently lives in Paris.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Ingenue:

"Exceptional. This surprising, exhilarating suspense-filled tale of revenge and redemption is hard to put down." ––Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Kapelke-Dale crafts a twisted suspenseful tale of expectations and identity, of love and vengeance, that will leave readers breathless." ––Library Journal

"Kapelke-Dale questions the idea of the perfect victim and examines institutional biases that protect abusers...The Ingenue bristling with rage, offers a provocative answer. Engaging, dramatic." ––StarTribune

"Cue echoes of Gone Girl." ––Vulture

"A captivating, haunting tale." ––GMA.com

"Enthralling. The Ingenue is a grizzly confrontation of one woman's past, touching on the #MeToo movement." ––PopSugar

"A gripping thriller about the bonds of family, the limits of talent, the risks of ambition and the rewards of revenge." ––PureWow Books

"Prepare for an intimate examination of mother-daughter dynamics and the expectations of greatness, all set in a post-#MeToo landscape in Kapelke-Dale's gripping story of a former piano prodigy reconciling her past after the death of her mom." ––E! News

"Rachel Kapelke-Dale is a hot property for fans of the arts." ––Broadway Direct

"Kapelke-Dale’s absorbing novel delves into the repercussions of sexual abuse, interspersing tantalizing extracts from Evie’s feminist fairy-tale retellings and fragments of Saskia’s teen years with present events that crescendo to a stunning conclusion. Aptly compared to Kate Elizabeth Russell's much-buzzed-about My Dark Vanessa, The Ingenue is poised to garner similar attention." ––Booklist

"Rachel Kapelke-Dale is an indisputable virtuoso of artful, propulsive suspense driven by the desires of complex female characters. In The Ingenue, she skillfully remixes classic fairy tale and Gothic themes to create an enthralling exploration of what the world does to ambitious women, and what happens when they take their power back. Saskia’s stunning coda will ring in your head long after you turn the final page." ––Layne Fargo, author of They Never Learn

"The Ingenue is a beautiful fever dream of a story, a genre-blending mix of mystery and fairytale that metamorphizes into different stories as you’re reading: an intimate look at the bonds between mothers and daughters, a searing exploration of who you are when you’re no longer exceptional, a knife-edged tale of vengeance. It is utterly enthralling, provocative, and so smart it held me captive until the perfect, sinister end. A book for anyone who was told they were special and is still clawing their way back." ––Ashley Winstead, author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife

Praise for The Ballerinas:

"The ways in which women torture their bodies in pursuit of creative dreams make for enthralling fictional drama. This terrain proves irresistible in The Ballerinas, a debut novel set in the hothouse atmosphere of the Paris Opera Ballet academy as three students grow up, compete, forge friendships and embark on a trail of destruction...Kapelke-Dale has thought through the larger picture, and examined how trauma and asymmetries of power derail so many dancers."
––The New York Times

"A standing ovation to this debut."
––E! News

"This highly readable, dramatic look behind the curtains is an unqualified success."
––Booklist

"A well-crafted thriller for fans of Megan Abbott's."
––Publishers Weekly

"Deliciously observed emotional tangles"
––Library Journal

"Deftly uses the professional dance setting to explore the complexities of female friendships and the lingering impacts of ballet's patriarchal culture as it hurtles toward the bloody conclusion promised on the first pages."
––Dance Magazine

From the Publisher

★ 10/17/2022

Saskia Kreis, the 37-year-old heroine of this exceptional psychological thriller from Kapelke-Dale (The Ballerinas), was once a child piano prodigy, but her career petered out in her late teens. She now makes a mediocre living in New York City as a computer coder. Upon the death of her mother, author and illustrator Evelyn Harper Kreis, Saskia returns to Milwaukee, Wis., for the funeral, staying at Elf House, the mansion that had been in her mother’s family for generations and that she hopes to inherit. She’s shocked when she learns that her mother has willed the house to Patrick Kintner, director of development at the University of Wisconsin. The narrative switches between Saskia’s present-day fight to retain what she believes is rightfully hers and sections revealing dark incidents from her adolescence. The plot builds to a conclusion that’s inevitable but still surprising, exhilarating but also disturbing. Chapters often start with excerpts from Evelyn’s 1990s book series, Fairy Tales for Little Feminists. These add substance to Saskia’s own plight and her decision on how to continue her life’s journey, and will resonate with readers in the post-#MeToo era. This suspense-filled tale of revenge and redemption is hard to put down. Agent: Sarah Phair, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

09/01/2022

What happens when the very things that make you special are taken away? That is the dilemma facing Saskia Kreis when she returns home after the death of her mother to find her legacy has vanished. Saskia used to count on three things that made her special: being a piano prodigy, being heir to the gothic mansion Elf House, and being adored by a man named Patrick. Now she no longer plays piano, and her estranged mother has left Elf House to Patrick. These present events are complemented by the novel's dual narratives of Saskia's life as a child and as a teen. Growing up in a fairy-tale environment, raised by a mother who wrote a series of books titled Fairy Tales for Little Feminists, Saskia traveled the world playing piano and knew that one day Elf House would be hers. But the fairy tale turned dark when at 14 she fell under the spell of Patrick, a colleague of her mother's. In the present, as Saskia begins to realize the truth of her relationship with Patrick, she becomes more determined to keep Elf House from him. It all leads to a shocking ending. VERDICT Kapelke-Dale (The Ballerinas) crafts a twisted suspenseful tale of expectations and identity, of love and vengeance, that will leave readers breathless.—Catherine Coyne

Library Journal

Stephanie Willis brings all the emotions in this compelling novel to life with her narration. Saskia Kreis returns home after her mother's death, fully expecting to inherit her opulent ancestral home. Instead, she learns that an older family friend with whom she shared a relationship when she was much younger has inherited the mansion. Her mission is to win back her house without dragging the past into the open and ruining countless lives. In alternating vignettes Willis portrays a young, innocent Saskia and her older, enraged self to perfection. Patrick, the family friend, is never reduced to a villainous caricature, though no one will be rooting for him. Willis empowers Saskia with a righteous rage that listeners will embrace. L.M.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2023 - AudioFile

Stephanie Willis brings all the emotions in this compelling novel to life with her narration. Saskia Kreis returns home after her mother's death, fully expecting to inherit her opulent ancestral home. Instead, she learns that an older family friend with whom she shared a relationship when she was much younger has inherited the mansion. Her mission is to win back her house without dragging the past into the open and ruining countless lives. In alternating vignettes Willis portrays a young, innocent Saskia and her older, enraged self to perfection. Patrick, the family friend, is never reduced to a villainous caricature, though no one will be rooting for him. Willis empowers Saskia with a righteous rage that listeners will embrace. L.M.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2023 - AudioFile